Personalfrom Herbert W. Armstrong

In the last eight or nine years I have frequently, on this page, told you of personal
meetings with heads of state around the world – kings, emperors, presidents, others
high in governments – and with leaders in higher education.

But WHY all these meetings with world leaders?

At first, I did not know, myself. I did not initiate these meetings. Invitations seemed
to come coincidentally. And the favor I was given in the eyes of these government
leaders was even more astonishing. All my life, from age 19, I have come in personal
contact with important men – at first, executives of major business corporations and
banks. Although I found those men cordial, there was no special warmth and favor, such as I began to experience in meeting these heads of state.
I didn’t understand it myself.

I did know that they were tremendously concerned about their own problems of government
and about accelerating evils in this world. All my life I had felt concerned about
the social evils and the unhappy state of the lives of most of this world’s billions.
And I knew I had learned what few seem to know – the CAUSES of the unhappy state of
the world, as well as what would, if applied, CAUSE world peace, universal prosperity,
happiness and abundant well-being.

These men at the helm of governments are charged with the responsibility for improving
their peoples’ well-being. And I learned that they really were interested in hearing
what I had to say.

But how should I know the solutions? Didn’t it seem ridiculously incongruous that I should have discovered
the answers to humanity’s problems which had eluded science, religion, education and governments
– answers to the seemingly unanswerable?

What I knew was something undiscovered by science, something outside the field of
technology, overlooked by religion, untaught by education.

Yes, it would seem one might retort with that age-old cliche; “Just who do you think
you are?” They might ask, “Do you set yourself above science, religion, education?”

And I answer, “No, indeed!” I have just been willing to BELIEVE the SOURCE of knowledge
and truth. It was all there for any and everyone to know, IF THEY WOULD ONLY HAVE
BELIEVED!

Well, how did it come about?

Back in 1926 I was challenged! I was challenged on the theory of evolution and on
a biblical question. I wasn’t religious. I knew virtually nothing of the Bible. I
had no interest in it. I did have an interest in Darwin – and even studied farther
back into Lamarck’s theory of use and disuse. I researched Darwin’s Origin of Species, Huxley, Haeckel, Spencer, Vogt, Chamberlin. They, of course, instilled within me
no biblical faith. But I wanted to research both sides. I believed in the slogan,
“Get ALL the facts–then decide.”

In that world’s best-seller, the book which, it seemed, as Bruce Barton said, “nobody
knows,” I found astonishing facts. There I found the ANSWERS. It required no extraordinary
intellect. It needed only willingness to BELIEVE what is true. There I found, available
to all, what science has never discovered, religion has overlooked, education has
never taught.

I noticed the incident of the “forbidden fruit.” It portrays the ever-living Creator
instructing the man and the woman He had just created in what they needed to know.
It portrayed Him revealing basic knowledge – knowledge undiscoverable and unobtainable,
except by revelation from the SOURCE. But the first humans didn’t believe! After all, they had only their Maker’s word for it! The serpent suggested their Maker was not a reliable source of knowledge.

“You shall not surely die,” he lied, contradicting the Creator’s positive statement.
When Eve observed that the forbidden fruit was good for food, pleasant to the sense of sight, and intellectually
challenging, intellectual curiosity seized her, and she decided to make the first
“scientific experiment.”

The scientific method is observation, experimentation, and reason, but rejection of revelation. She disbelieved,
disobeyed, seized the forbidden fruit, and induced her husband to join the experiment.
They took to themselves production of the knowledge of what is good and what is evil.

Result of that experiment: They died! And their posterity have been disbelieving,
disobeying, relying on themselves for the production of knowledge, and dying, ever since!

I noticed how Jesus came with a message of factual truth from God. But though some
“believed on Him,” they didn’t believe what He said! I read in the book of John: “As
he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed
on him, If ye continue in my word [His revealed knowledge], then are ye my disciples
indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:30-31).

They answered him controversially.

Jesus said, “Ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you… If ye were
Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me,
a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham…
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not” (John 8:37,45).

Actually, biblical revelation shows that the God whose teaching was disbelieved by
Adam and Eve was the very same Personage who later became Jesus Christ. The message
Jesus brought was the identical teaching He had imparted to the first humans. But
after three and a half years of Christ’s teaching, there were only 120 disciples (Acts
1:15).

These grew and multiplied for a while. But then the great persecution set in (Acts
8:1). And soon ensued the “lost century” in the history of the Church. When the curtain
lifts, about a century later, we behold a church called “Christian,” teaching doctrines
which are mostly the very antithesis of Christ’s teaching – and His gospel, the Kingdom
of God, no longer being proclaimed.

In this world have sprouted up many religions. But the “missing dimension” in knowledge
has appeared in none. That original and basic essential knowledge is still MISSING.

Science has not discovered it. Religions have overlooked it. Education has not taught
it.

And what is that missing basic knowledge? It is the knowledge of WHAT man is, WHY
man is, WHERE man is going, and WHAT the WAY is. It is knowledge of the CAUSE of all
human ills and evils.

It is knowledge of the WAY that would CAUSE world peace – that would produce universal
prosperity, happiness, abundant well-being. It did not take any extraordinary intellect
to discover it in the biblical revelation. It required only a willingness to BELIEVE.

I decided, back in 1926, that I should give biblical revelation as much credence as
the Darwinian theory and the writings of his promoters Haeckel and Huxley. I found
in the Bible the facts that explained WHY man is as he is – with intellect so great
he can fly to the moon and back, yet utterly unable to solve his own problems or to
live at peace with himself and his neighbors here on earth. I found revealed the CAUSES
of all our problems. And I found the WAY that will cause all GOOD.

It all made sense! So I decided in early 1927 that I would make a “scientific experiment.” I would put this knowledge into practice. I
would make it my WAY OF LIFE.

Fifty-two years of living that way myself have proved that it does result in PEACE, HAPPINESS, beauty of physical environment and BEAUTY
in human character.

Yes, harassed and troubled heads of state do show interest in what is CAUSING all
their troubles. Many of their top aides show interest. And these personal meetings
lead to public appearances before large audiences, who come to hear what has not been
proclaimed for 19 centuries – what is outside the fields of science or traditional
religion.

I’m aware that the world doesn’t believe it. But, in our time, the world is going
to be compelled to enjoy PEACE, universal prosperity, happiness, and abundant well-being! Humanity
won’t bring it about. It will be done to and for humanity!